Clothesline prop



"Feb-18,1936. I NBERG" zmwm CLOTHESLINE PROP Filed Nov. 8, 1933 Ill - NANSTAD BERG.

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Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE CLOTHE SLINE PROP Nanstad Berg, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor of one-half to Joseph H. Bruce, Shaker Heights,

Ohio

The present invention relates to clothes line props and more particularly to a prop which can be clamped to the line and readily removed therefrom.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a clothesline propwhich will be economical to manufacture, rugged in construction, and reliable in operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clothes line prop which will securely hold the line, and which can be readily operated to engage and disengage the same.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a clothes-line prop embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clothes-line prop shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top elevation of the clothes-line prop shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2 of a modified construction of clothes-line prop.

Referring to the drawing, the pole of the clothes-line prop is designated in general by the reference character It, and is preferably made of wood, but may be made of any suitable material. The pole It may be of any suitable length, or extensible if desired. A head member H, preferably formed of cast non-corrosive metal, secured to the upper end of the pole It as by the screw I2, is provided with a plurality of projections IE, it, and I5 which form a groove adapted to receive the line IS. The projection I3 is located on one side of the line [6 and the projections I l and IS on the other side.

The head member II is provided with a plurality of slots 20 formed in laterally extending flange portions 2 I, which receive the upper part of a U-shaped clamping member 22, the closed end 23 of which is offset laterally to project over the line receiving groove formed in the head member H by the projections I3, l4, and I5. The free ends 24 and 25 of the U-shaped clamping member 22 extend longitudinally of the pole towards the lower end thereof.

The free ends 24 and 25 of the U-shaped clamping member 22 are bent transversely of the pole and are pivotally connected to extensions 26 of an operating lever 21. One end of the operating lever 21 is pivotally connected as at 28 to the lower convolution of a spiral spring 29 surrounding the pole Ill, the upper convolution of which is attached to the pole by means of a staple 3|. The other end of the operating lever is formed with a hand grasp 30 for manual operation of the same. The extensions 26 are curved in such a manner that when the operating lever is moved to its down position, the pivotal connections of the free ends 24 and 25 therewith are thrown past center inside of the axis of the pivotal connection of the operating lever 27 with the spiral spring 29. The construction is such that when the operating lever is in the down position the clamping member 22 is locked in engagement with the line It. The operating lever 21 is moved in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 to release the line and the position of the various parts when the line is released is indicated in dotted lines in this figure.

The lower end of the pole Ii] is preferably provided with a foot member 34 pivotally connected thereto by means of a pin 35 and a plurality of cotter pins 36. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the foot member 34 is made of sheet metal and has a plurality of downwardly extending projections 31 adapted to embed themselves in the ground upon which the pole is placed, but it will be understood that the construction of the foot member 34 may be varied to suit the particular surface upon which the pole is to be placed, such as a soft rubber or suction foot member where the pole is to be placed on a concrete or stone surface, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated the clamping member 22 is pivotally connected to the operating lever midway between the ends thereof and the fulcrum for the lever is at one end thereof, but it will be understood that the fulcrum for the lever might be intermediate the ends thereof and the pivotal connection with the clamping member at an end thereof. It will also be understood that the operating lever 22 may be directly pivoted to the pole l I] with resilient means interposed in the legs of the U-shaped clamping member, and the resilient clamping feature retained. Such a construction is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the corresponding parts of the props are indicated with the same reference character with a prime mark affixed thereto.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 the pole is indicated by the reference character l0, the clamping member by the reference character 22', and the operating lever by the reference character 21'. The operating lever is pivotally connected intermediate the ends thereof to the pole If! by a pin 40 the ends of which are riveted over to hold the same in position. The resilient engagement of the clamping member 22 with the lever is obtained by a plurality of convolutions 42 formed in each leg of the clamping member.

From the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be apparent that the applicant has provided a clothes line prop inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, and reliable in operation, which can be securely clamped in position on a line. While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction illustrated and described, which may be varied within the scope of this invention, in addition to the variations pointed out above. This application is intended to cover any and all variations, adaptations or uses thereof as come within the knowledge or customary practice in the art to which it appertains, and I particularly point out and claim as my invention:

A clothes-line prop comprising a pole, a head member provided with a line receiving groove secured to the upper end of said pole, a U-shaped clamping member provided with straight parallel sides conforming closely to the shape of the pole movably secured thereto with the closed end thereof adjacent said head member and the free ends extending longitudinally of said pole, a laterally offset portion on said U-shaped clamping member overlying said groove for engagement with a line positioned therein, said head member being provided with apertures for the reception of the straight parallel sides of said U-shaped clamping member, and a lever pivotally connected to said pole and to the free ends of said U- shaped clamping member for operating the same.

NANSTAD BERG. 

